Khun Lek aka Rachel Lobangco crafts stunning Thai desserts

Creating Thai desserts that resemble works of art is Rachel Lobangco’s specialty. As a culinarian, she goes by the name Khun Lek.

In Thai, Khun translates to Miss and Lek to Little. Being the youngest in the family, Rachel was christened Khun Lek by her mom and older sister. Now a cook, her longtime dream is to perfect the art of Thai cuisine.

I first savored her sweet creations a couple of years ago. Her gorgeous khanom chan (multi-layered jelly-like Thai desserts) in multihued floral shapes caught my eye.

Khun Lek’s sweet offerings have since expanded. I was pleased to discover that she now makes luk chup—small bites of mung bean paste to which sugar and coconut milk are added. The mixture is hand-molded into miniature fruits and vegetables. To complete the process, each piece is handpainted then dipped in agar agar. This results in glistening, glass-like fruits and vegetables.

Luk chup was always a part of my to-eat list, even as a young girl roaming the streets of Bangkok. I am, after all, a lover of all things made with mung beans.

Patience required

Making them is time-consuming. For Khun Lek, however, it is a thrill and a challenge to make them. She is a patient cook. She enjoys the long process, the wait, the fine details that take hours to finish.

The mung bean jelly bites take two days to prepare. Day 1 is spent soaking, steaming, blending, and cooking half a kilo of mung beans to transform it to a paste. Day 2 is spent hand molding it. A luk chup production day for Khun Lek starts at 6 a.m. until 1 p.m. Add to that an extra hour for painting, and another for glazing.

Then there’s drying time and packaging. She estimates that the whole process roughly takes 15 hours for half a kilo of mung beans. One batch makes only 25 packs of luk chup.

Is it worth her while?

Definitely. For Khun Lek, the joy and satisfaction comes from creating beautiful, brightly colored edible treats, knowing full well that whoever receives it will be happy.

Apart from creating Thai desserts twice a week in Manila, Khun Lek is a weekend and/or a by-appointment chef at EP Farm Tagaytay, a family-owned bed and breakfast with a Thai restaurant also called Khun Lek. It is where one can experience her Thai cuisine. It currently offers two set menus and a third to be launched soon, inspired by Phuket Island. (@khunlek.ph on Instagram)

Coconut macaroon

Another little bite that I discovered is the Coconut Macaroon by Postre, the makers of Bibingka Cake.

Their coconut macaroons are rich, dense, buttery, chewy, and sinful, with an ube haleya center. I was told the recipe was handed down by Leticia Barredo to her daughter Jayee Ang.

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The macaroon was transformed when Jayee’s husband, Bryan, thought of putting an ube filling. She did as she was instructed and it turned out to be a brilliant addition to their line of cakes and pastries.

Jayee, through Postre, continues the family tradition of cooking and baking family favorites with a modern spin. (@postre.ph on Instagram)

Macaroons are also a specialty of Jenny Dy of Home Faves by Jennifer. Jenny has always loved to bake, a passion she set aside when her children were young. Now that her youngest is a young lady, she has reignited her love for baking and has even improved on her bestselling staples.

Jenny’s coconut macaroons are reminiscent of the ones we enjoyed growing up. Old-fashioned, devoid of frills… but now even lighter, moist, and not overly sweet. The macaroons are perfect with a cup of coffee. It is the kind that the older generation will love. She also has improved on her cheese cupcake that falls under the same category.